Meeting with John Lennon

Over on Facebook, a fan named Jim George shared a great story about meeting John Lennon at the Helping Hands Marathon in 1975 and getting John's autograph in 1979.   I asked Jim if I could share his story and photos on this blog and he told me it would be fine to share, so here is his great story of meeting John Lennon.  Thank you Jim!

 In May 1975, one of the last official public appearances John made was a three-day radio marathon at WFIL in Philly. During that weekend, he would come out to the parking lot every other hour and sign autographs while station staffers would collect change for the charity. Expecting massive crowds, a friend and I were skeptical that we'd get anywhere near him, but we decided to take the chance anyway and went on the final day, Sunday.

The first time John came out to the lot, which had a railing around it as kind of a buffer zone, I was right near the exit and as he approached the crowd, my immediate response was to extend a hand. He walked straight to me and shook my hand, though he seemed a bit surprised, probably because, as I observed later, most people there merely handed him an item to sign--a photo, a record sleeve, a Rickenbacker guitar. There wasn't a whole lotta shakin' goin' on. Each time he came out, he went around the parking lot twice, so I ended up with four signatures. Foolishly--and possibly due to our low expectations--I hadn't come prepared with any choice memorabilia, only paper: an index card, a manila envelope, two sheets of typing paper. But they're authentic. In his own write.

Four years later, I wrote John a letter--beginning "Dear John (sounds so final, doesn't it?)"--and in the course of it, I mentioned having met him at the Philly event:
"I did get to shake your handshake, but I was just another shaky hand in the crowd (the one without warts)."

Also, I enclosed some very early drafts of stories that eventually ended up in my new book entitled Jim Shorts, the style of which has been very influenced by John's book as well as the wordplayfulness of such linguistic masters as James Joyce, Lewis Carroll and Edward Lear. John responded by sending me the autographed bookmark pictured. If he actually read my pieces, that would make him the first person ever to do so. If anyone truly loves his books and the works of the aforementioned authors, I think Jim Shorts would have great appeal to him/her and I would urge you to read more detail about it at:

           https://byjimgeorge.wordpress.com/2016/09/30/first-blog-post/

           https://byjimgeorge.wordpress.com/2016/10/08/jim-by-george-a-self-interview-on-jim-shorts/

Jim's 1979 autograph is very interesting because John signed it on a bookmark sent to him by Tony Saks.     You might recall that Tony Saks was the man who owned the "only guitar signed by the Beatles." (although the authenticity of said guitar's autographs is up for debate).     By 1979, Tony was hitting the convention circuits and seemed to have a habit of sending things to the Dakota building.   I own a large envelope from 1985 that Tony had sent to Yoko that ended up in the dead letter office.   How it came to be in an auction is beyond me, but I now have it.    But we can see that Tony sent what I would assume was another packet of information about himself to John in 1979.   When answering fan mail during those days, John would often just sign whatever he had available and send it back to the fan.    And or Jim George, he signed a bookmark that had been sent to him by noneother than Tony Saks.

More about Tony Saks

Many of you might remember the things I have posted on this blog about Tony Saks
http://www.meetthebeatlesforreal.com/search/label/Tony%20Saks

To jog your memory, Tony met the Beatles at the Plaza Hotel in 1964 when he worked with a guitar company.  The Beatles tried one of the guitars and decided not to purchase it.   Tony bought it and decided to have the Beatles sign it when they came through Baltimore on September 13, 1964.   So they singed the guitar in gold lettering (the type used to put gold letters on Bible covers).   Then in the late 70's - early 80's Tony was hitting the Beatle convention circuit with the guitar and calling himself the "World's Oldest Beatlemaniac."    

Well, I obtained some of achieves of Tony's and while it is copies of stuff and not in the best condition, it is still neat to see.   Today there is speculation of the guitar was actually signed by the Beatles and I think the actual guitar's whereabouts are unknown.   But these documents make you believe that the signatures are genuine, but honestly we will never know.

Paul and Mrs. Saks taken by Tony

Several months ago, Mike Suley sent in this photo that was taken with the guitar in 1986.  He said that Tony was energetic and happy to talk about getting the guitar signed.    I wish I could have met the man myself.

Photo from Mike Suley

The Guitar Man

It happens often to me that I write something for this blog and then a few days later I find more to the story or a new photo.   Such is the case with a story I found in a 1979 issue of Beatlefan magazine about Tony Saks.  This story gives a little more detail than I had previously known and I decided to go ahead and include it because the first story I wrote about him got a very positive response. 

 I am not sure who actually wrote this article for Beatlefan (maybe Bill King?) because no writer is given.

Beatles Guitar Man

From Beatlefan magazine

Vol 1 No 6 (1979)

If you’ve been to a Beatles convention this year or happen to live in the Norfolk, VA area, then you no doubt are familiar with a colorful 70-year-old character named Tony Saks and his unique guitar.

Saks calls himself the “world oldest Beatlemaniac” and his guitar is, he says, the only one in the world played and autographed in gold by all four members of the Beatles.  Saks figures that puts it right up in a league with Elvis’ jet and Bonnie and Clyde’s bullet-riddled car, and so he’s making the rounds of Beatles conventions giving people a chance to pose for a picture with the guitar – for a price.

The story behind the Rickenbacker six-string goes back to Feb 8, 1964, the day after the Beatles arrived in New York City for their first visit to the U.S.    A Rickenbacker representative named F.C. Hall demonstrated the instrument for the band members, letting all four have a go at playing it.  Saks, a well-known guitar teacher from Norfolk, was present to assist Hall.

The next night, shortly after The Beatles’ first Ed Sullivan TV appearance, Saks and his wife Grace met The Beatle sand manager Brian Epstein at the Plaza Hotel.  Later that evening, Saks offered to buy the guitar from Hall and did so for $467.50 thinking one of his guitar students back in Virginia might want it. 

The students suggested, however, that Saks ought to get the instrument autographed by the Beatles.  So he contacted the group’s London office when the band returned later that summer for a U.S. tour and Beatles press officer Derek Taylor set up a meeting between Saks and his wife Grace and Lennon, McCartney, Harrison and Starr.

The meeting took place around breakfast time on September 13, 1964 at the Holiday Inn (where the band was staying) in Baltimore, MD.  Each of the group members signed the guitar, using gold tape, and Taylor later recalled that all went well except at one point when the tape slipped almost ruining McCartney’s signature.  Mrs. Saks then got the Beatles to autograph some “She Loves you” sheet music and posed for a picture with McCartney.

Saks used the guitar, which he dressed up with four Beatles dolls (now collectors items in themselves), to promote his Guitarland music shop and guitar teaching business over the years, and also displayed it at civic clubs and shopping malls in the Virginia area and at music conferences.  In recent years he began putting on special displays of the instrument on February 9 and on September 13, which he proudly notes is not only the anniversary of the guitar signing, but the birthday of Starr and McCartney children. 

Then a Virginia newspaper columnist suggested to Saks that he take the guitar to the 1979 New York Beatlefest, “I decided to go at the last minute,” Saks said, and the trip turned out well as some 200 people paid $2 each to have a Polaroid picture taken of them holding the guitar.  He also took it to the Chicago Beatlefest, where 170 people paid $3 each to pose with the instrument and recently to the Beatles Forever II convention in Minneapolis where he also appeared on local TV.

“It wasn’t until I went to New York that I realized there was some (monetary) value to showing it off,” Saks said.  He would like to get the four ex-Beatles involved in some way with a charitable use of the guitar next year but right now he’s mainly, “trying to figure out how I can use it to add to my Social Security I started collecting in January of this year.  I ‘m retired now.”   He also sells guitar picks emblazoned with “McCartney Maniacs Unlimited.”

Although face value of the mint condition 1964 Rickenbacker like his would be around $1,000, Saks estimates the value of his Beatles guitar at $50,000.  A somewhat overenthusiastic figure, probably, but there’s no denying the instrument is worth much more than $1,000.

Money aside, thought, Saks said he’s enjoying attending Beatles conventions and meeting today’s fans.  “I love ‘em,” he said, “just like I do the Beatles.  I really am the world’s oldest Beatlemaniac.”

The World's oldest Beatles fan--remembering Tony Saks

Thanks to Exclamation Mike! for sending me the video that gave me the idea to research this story.

John Lennon's uncle Charlie with Tony Saks and the Beatles guitar

Some of you might remember Tony Saks.   Maybe you were one of his students that took guitar lessons from him in the 1960’s or 1970’s in Virginia Beach, Virginia at “Tony Sak’s Guitarland.”    Or maybe you met this zany character at a Beatles convention in the 1970’s or early 1980’s.    You might have paid Tony a few bucks and got a Polaroid taken holding his “Beatles guitar.”    Many people remember Tony Saks as being a friendly, eccentric man who loved the Beatles and would talk about them to anyone who was willing to listen.

 On February 9, 1964, back at the Plaza Hotel after the Beatles first performance on the Ed Sullivan Show, a California Rickenbacker guitar dealer named   F.C. Hall brought out some guitars to show the Beatles (in hopes of them purchasing them).    His friend, Tony Saks went along with him to help demonstrate the new line of guitars.    At the time, Tony was in his 50’s, but he automatically liked the four guys from Liverpool and became a Beatles fan.    One of the guitars the Beatles had tried was a 1964 Fireglo Rickenbacker model 365.   The decided against getting the guitar, but a wise Tony Saks asked Mr. Hall if he could purchase it since the Beatles did not want it. 

Tony had a plan for this guitar that had been played by the Beatles (Tony said that all four Beatles played this guitar, but really I do not see why Ringo would have played it).     Tony was going to get all four of the Beatles to autograph the guitar. 

Tony is a persuasive man and he got in touch with Derek Taylor and made a deal to get the autograph on September 13, 1964 at the Holiday Inn in Baltimore, Maryland.    Tony had a great idea as to how he was going to seal the Beatles famous signatures onto the guitar.  He came armed with gold tape that is typically used for adding a name on a Bible cover.      Derek Taylor tells what happened next in his impossible to own book, Fifty Years Adrift

'He brought with him his wife, a guitar, some gold leaf and a request/instruction for me to get the guitar signed by all four Beatles. They were to write with a hard pen through the strips of gold leaf, so that he would have a guitar signed in gold. Desperate to do right by Tony Saks, a man of incredible energy and persuasiveness, I somehow managed to wake each of them... and after handing each of them an Orange Juice, handed them a pen and gently urged them to sign, through the strip of gold leaf, their famous golden names. I had many difficult duties, some of them more bizarre than others; this however was one of the easiest because it was so outrageous. In the depths of early awakening, they dutifully gripped the ballpoint pen and Tony Saks got his 'gold guitar'.

Guitar students from as early as 1965 vividly recall seeing the signed guitar each week during their lessons.  Tony soon started to consider himself to be the “World’s Oldest Beatles fan.”     He would take his signed Beatles guitar, Beatles Remco dolls and photos of his wife with the Beatles with him to record shows and Beatle conventions and talk to fellow fans.    He would let fans hold the guitar and pose for a photo (for a small fee of course) and he gave out postcards of the guitar.    Tony was proud to be a Beatles fan and he was proud of that guitar. 

In 1984, when Sotherby’s of New York had their first huge Beatles auction, and auctioned of many of John Lennon’s belongings, including his psychedelic Rolls Royce, Tony was there to see the action and be with the fans.    As seen in a video from the 1982 Beatlefest in Los Angeles, Tony  had a passion for the Beatles and would get emotional when talking about John.

Tony Saks passed away in 1987, leaving the famed Beatles guitar in his will to his daughter.    She hung onto the guitar for 10 years and then through Bonham’s auction house in 1997, auctioned it off for an unknown amount.    No one is quite sure where the guitar is today, but many speculate that it was bought by a collector in Japan and is either in a museum in Japan or in a private collection.

There has been some speculation that the autograph on the guitar is not genuinely signed by the Beatles, but was signed by Neil Aspinall.     Tony was not present when the autographs were signed, as he gave the guitar over to Derek Taylor, who went to the Beatle rooms and had them sign it.    It is possible that none of the Beatles themselves signed that guitar and it is Neil’s work on the guitar instead.     I am sure it is much more difficult to authenticate a golden signed guitar than it is a piece of paper, and since the exact whereabouts of the guitar are currently unknown, we will not know the truth.    I am certain that Tony believed that the guitar was signed by the four Beatles and that he had the one and only guitar signed by the four Beatles.   (There was a guitar signed by three of the Beatles, and one signed by the Beatles and other British groups, but as far as history knows Tony’s guitar was the only one in existence that had the signatures of just the four Beatles).   

For the sake of Tony’s memory I really hope Neil didn’t sign it and it is a true signed guitar by John, Paul, George and Ringo.